BUDDHISM

ORIGINS

Prince Siddhartha Gotama in Lumbini (Nepal) 563 BC
Enlightened at age 35 and taught for the rest of his life

KEY BELIEFS

The 4 Noble Truths

• Life is Suffering
• Suffering is Caused by Desires
• Suffering Can Be Gotten Rid of by Dwelling Only on the Present
• The Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path

• Being Moral

The Five Precepts

• Do Not Kill
• Do Not Steal
• Do Not Over-Indulge in Sexual Activity
• Do Not Lie
• Do Not Become Intoxicated

Karma

• Cause and Effect
• Intentions, Effects On Yourself, Effects of Others

Nirvana: Extinguishing suffering
No Soul: Part of the Whole

Wisdom and Compassion:
Experience and Understand Truth and Reality.
Understand Ourselves through Wisdom to Understand Others

Buddhism

RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

No Prayer: No Singular God
Think of Precepts While Offering Food and Flowers to Buddha Statues - Not Worship, Meditation
Meditation
Enhance Devotion and Purity
Karma and Food: Do Not Kill Animals, but Not Mandatory (Survive)
Avoid Alcohol and Drugs: Purity
Monks: Food eaten before Noon. One Meal a Day (Unless Sick). Meditation. Vegetarians. Generosity Without Ulterior Motive.



MARRIAGE
No god therefore just a ceremony between the two people
No sexual immorality

ZEN:
Not Thinking
Unsolvable Puzzle

SACRED TEXTS

Sutras: Buddha's Words
Tripitaka: Earliest Works
Tibetan Book of the Dead: Most Well-Known

SACRED SITES

Lumbini: Buddha's Birthplace



Bodhgaya: Where Buddha was Enlightened



Deer Park (Sarnath): Where Buddha Preached His First Sermon



Shravasti: Buddha Speaks in the Grove



Sankasya: Buddha's Descend from Tusita Heaven



Buddha went to visit his mother at age 41 in heaven and taught her and the other gods his enlightened ways
Kushinagar: Where Buddha Dies